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To sleep, perchance to clean? Humans spend a third of their lives unconscious,
but scientists are still not sure why, although research published today
suggests one of the reasons could be because it helps our brain’s waste
disposal system.

The brain produces toxins called beta-amyloid. Responsible for diseases such
as Alzheimer’s, these amino acids need to be removed to ensure the brain
keeps working.

Scientists recently discovered that these are washed out through the
circulation of cerebral-spinal fluid. Now a study in mice has found that
this mechanism is ten times more active during sleep, when cells contract to
allow